Shows like "Gossip Girl" have generated plenty of buzz, but far-from-stellar ratings for CW -- one reason the network went way outside its young-girl demo in recruiting 50-something Mark Pedowitz as its new president. "What Pedowitz seems to be tasked with, even if nobody is saying it out loud, is using his varied industry experience and acumen to make a go of The CW in some last-ditch effort to make it viable," writes Tim Goodman in his thoughtful analysis of "a network that needs to be more mature about its viability."

Joanna Coles, Marie Claire editor in chief, will be the helpful mentor to contestants on "Project Runway All Stars," the spinoff of the popular design competition set to premiere later this year on Lifetime, according to People.If Coles is the new Tim Gunn, the substitute for Heidi Klum will be someone we've never heard of -- model Angela Lindvall -- while the designer-judges are more familiar: Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman. The most well-known folks (who may get "PR" regulars like us to tune in) will be the designer-contestants themselves -- 13 who appeared on previous seasons and never won …

David Bohrman becomes Current TV's president, effective immediately. In Borhrman's most recent stint, he held senior positions at CNN for10 years -- first as senior vice president of programming and Washington, D.C. bureau chief. This May he was promoted to senior vice president and Chief Innovation Officer Worldwide. Bohrman's purview will be programming, production, broadcast operations, digital and technology -- as well as working closely with Current's Chief News Officer, Keith Olbermann.

Trymaine Lee writes a long case history on the rise and fall of now-defunct KING magazine, "an urban answer to mainstream lad mags like Maxim, FHM and Stuff, and... the closest thing there had ever been to a hip-hop equivalent of GQ." Interesting stuff, especially this quote from the pub's founder, Datwon Thomas: "If you saw the covers, you'd be like, 'All they want to do is look at this girl's ass.' But if you opened it, you'd be like, 'Wow, it's so much more than that.'"

Reflecting a growing national trend, Granite Broadcasting's WKBW-TV has become the third station in Buffalo, N.Y. to outsource its master control operations. The move will result in layoffs of 10 employees. Encompass Digital Media in Atlanta will now handle such functions as plugging in commercials, running paid programming, handling network satellite feeds and live truck operations (although reporter James Fink points out that the station will retain its own live crews). Companies like Encompass are not only handling operations for local TV stations, but for national cable and satellite operators, Fink writes.

Video game magazine GamePro is trying a new strategy to stay viable as a print pub: moving from monthly to quarterly publication; running "more thoughtful" journalism that aims to be "a snapshot of video game history in progress"; printing fewer copies, with highly targeted distribution, according to GamePro Media VP of content Julian Rignall."I kind of think there's two business models for print," he tells Frank Cifaldi. "You either make it super super cheap so it's disposable, or you go deluxe and you make the experience tactile and worthwhile and kind of in-depth."

"American Idol" may no longer be launching megastars like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, but it's doing wonders for the faded musical careers of its celebrity judges like Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, writes Al Shipley. Meanwhile, "The Voice's" more contemporary celebrities like Christine Aguilera and Blake Shelton have released new tunes that outsold the firsts single from the hit series' winning voice Javier Colon. "One wonders if Colon and his fellow competitors feel a little used by the stars, who ultimately grabbed the primetime spotlight to revitalize their own careers," says Shipley.

Cable and satellite TV companies have been facing competition from free Internet porn sites for years, but they're finally ready to talk about this trend -- and how it's affecting profits -- now. This Wall Street Journal piece cites facts and figures, but concludes with this money quote: "I don't think you want to get down in the trenches and slug it out with cheap porn on the Internet," says an industry exec. "Our job is to come up with unique, interesting content, not just more of what's out there." Makes you wonder just what kind of "unique" content is …

That's the question of the day, considering that AMC pushed to cut production budgets/and or number of episodes for two of its other big shows months after "Mad Men" showrunner Matthew Weiner received a hefty raise. Also, after calling for pitches for new programming, the cable channel decided not to move forward with any. Despite any and all evidence to the contrary, AMC President Charlie Collier is quoted here denying that the care and feeding of "Mad Men," a critical but not ratings success, has affected any other AMC programming decisions.

If TV stations don't start streaming their own content online and on mobile devices, they "could miss out on the future of television," writes Preston Padden. To that end, Padden provides suggestions on "how to fashion a business model and... secure the necessary rights." He also discusses what NOT to do, debunking "two particularly unpersuasive legal arguments" about station/network/cable operator relationships.